by Michael Frye | Jun 15, 2011 | Yosemite Photo Conditions
Abundant mist created an exceptionally wide lunar rainbow on Upper Yosemite Fall last night.
The National Park Service announced today that Tioga Pass will open this Saturday at 8 a.m. Last year the high country still held tons of snow on opening day, and it was wintry and beautiful. It sounds like there’s even more snow this year, and I’m looking forward to seeing it!
Meanwhile, the warmest temperatures of the year have created minor flooding in Yosemite Valley. The highest water levels are expected tomorrow morning, and Swinging Bridge will probably be underwater. Some road closures are possible, and some campsites may be evacuated (perhaps already have?), but it looks like there won’t be any major closures in the near future. However, there’s still plenty of snow at higher elevations, and hot weather is expected to return in the middle of next week, so it seems likely that we’ll see more minor flooding by next Wednesday or Thursday.
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by Michael Frye | Jun 13, 2011 | Yosemite Photo Conditions
Misty sunrise from Tunnel View, 6/6
After a long, cool spring, the weather in Yosemite has finally warmed up. Increasing snowmelt has raised the volume of the waterfalls, and partially flooded the meadows. And it’s supposed to get warmer: temperatures are predicted to reach eighty or above tomorrow and Wednesday. The waterfalls will only get bigger, and the meadows will turn into giant reflecting ponds. The Merced River is expected to reach flood stage by tomorrow night, and peak early Thursday morning. Flooding will probably be minor, but road closures are possible.
All this happens at just the right time for people hoping to photograph the lunar rainbow during the upcoming full moon. Once again, here’s a link to Don Olson’s site with his predictions for when the moonbow will be visible from the bridge below Lower Yosemite Fall, and from Cook’s Meadow. Note that the lower fall will probably be much too wet for photography—it will be impossible to keep spray off the lens. Also, here’s a link to one of my previous posts with tips for photographing this event.
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by Michael Frye | Jun 9, 2011 | Photography Tips
Sometimes it's easy to pick the winners—they just jump out at you, like this image did when I first saw it on my screen. But usually editing is a more difficult task.
First of all, thanks to everyone who commented on my post from last Friday. Your participation is such a vital part of this blog, and makes it more fun for me, and everyone else.
Of the three dogwood images I posted, “C” was clearly the favorite. But there were some strong votes for A and B as well. Just another example of how subjective photography is!
It’s also an example of how difficult it can be to edit your work. When I ask students to bring a portfolio of ten images to a workshop, they often tell me how hard it was to narrow it down to such a small selection. Many have never had to do that before.
But editing—and I mean this in the traditional sense of selecting images, rather than processing or developing them—is one of the most important aspects of photography.
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by Michael Frye | May 18, 2011 | Announcements
One of my workshop students in Courthouse Wash
First, a note about the blog. In transferring my domain to a new host, I encountered some problems. It may take a few days to get everything straightened out, and in the mean time I have a generic layout, and old posts will not be visible. I apologize for the inconvenience, and hope to get everything back up and running soon. If you have a subscription you should still get all the new posts.
But I wanted to write about the Moab Photography Symposium before too much time passed. This was my first time attending this event, and it was tremendous fun, with a relaxed, creative, and enjoyable atmosphere.
John Sexton gave a wonderful keynote presentation last Thursday night, and his talk about Ansel Adams on Saturday was amazing—really moving. I gave my presentation, Lessons From the Masters, on Friday morning, then got to see beautiful images from Joan Myers, and hear a fascinating discussion of photography design from Nat Coalson. On Saturday and Sunday we were treated to more great stuff from Jeff Vanuga, Tom Till, Steve Traudt, and Rory Tyler.
Friday and Saturday afternoons we broke into smaller groups for field workshops. I took my groups to Arches National Park (including Courthouse Wash and Balanced Rock) on Friday, and to beautiful Mill Creek on Saturday. Mill Creek is close to town, but this portion of it is not easy to find, and I would never have made it there without guidance from Bruce Hucko, the symposium director. A perennial creek flows through a classic red rock canyon, complete with petroglyphs and late-day reflections in the water.
I hope I get to come back. If you get a chance to attend this event next spring, don’t hesitate. You’ll have a great time.
by Michael Frye | Dec 22, 2010 | Digital Darkroom, Photography Tips, Video Tutorials
White Balance for Landscape Photographs – Part 2: Shade from Michael Frye on Vimeo.
Here’s the second part of my video series on white balance. Today it’s all about shade—finding the perfect color temperature that brings out all the hues when there’s no sunlight in your photograph.
If you haven’t seen it already, here’s a link to Part 1. Still to come is Part 3, where I’ll present solutions to a common problem in landscape photographs—finding the right white balance when mixing low-angle sunlight with blue sky.
To see this video clearly, be sure that “HD” is on (the letters “HD” should be white instead of gray; if not, click on them), and click the “expand” icon just to the right of “HD.”
These videos are a great way to explain concepts like white balance, but if you want to put all the bits and pieces together and really master the digital darkroom, there’s still space available in my upcoming Photoshop and Digital Printing workshop, January 16-20.
Hope you find this video helpful, and I look forward to hearing your comments!
